Storage pillow

ABSTRACT

A storage pillow is provided having a flexible casing formed by two body panels joined together with an unjoined portion in the form of a mouth that communicates with an interior. The body panels may be constructed of a water resistant material and the casing mouth may have an associated closure. There may also be a cushioning layer interposed between the body panels. The pillow also includes an inflatable bladder that is removably disposed inside the casing. The bladder may be filled with air via an inflation valve that communicates with an array of inflatable cells in communication with one another. The inflated bladder provides protection for the storage of items or may be used as a cushioned support. The bladder has an associated closure to enable it to retain personal items within its interior.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of myco-pending application Ser. No. 10/170,013, filed Jun. 10, 2002 andentitled “Shipping Container Along With Shipping Method Employing TheSame”, which itself is a continuation-in-part of my co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 09/956,478, also entitled “Shipping Container AndSystem Along With Shipping Method Employing The Same”, and filed on Sep.18, 2001.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention broadly relates to the field of containersfor storing personal items. The present invention more particularlyconcerns containers in the form of travel-sized pillows for providingsubstantially dry storage of personal items as well as cushioned supportto a user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The prior art demonstrates numerous attempts to provide pillowconstructions which are comfortable to users, as well as those whichalso serve a therapeutic purpose. Pillows come in a variety of contours,shapes and materials for providing a comfortable article for moderatelysupporting a user's head, neck or back. A basic pillow designincorporates a deformable cushion having a selected shape and made fromany of a variety of materials including foam, goose down, and the like,which is generally covered by an appropriately sized pillowcase servingas an outer protective covering.

[0004] A variety of different pillow constructions have been developedover the years to serve particular needs. Many appropriately contouredpillows are available for reducing muscle strain and tension along thehead, neck and shoulder region of the body when one is in a reposedposition. Other pillow constructions are particularly suited to enabletravelers in airplanes, cars, trains and the like to more easily sleepwhile traveling. Many such pillows are configured generally as a collarfor stationarily supporting the head by providing a neck engaging yoke.Generally speaking, travel pillows have a reduced size in comparison toconventional pillows. Indeed, some travel pillow constructions areinflatable/deflatable so they can be conveniently compacted and storedaway when not in use without taking up precious space.

[0005] A pillow is also a necessary travel item for many campers.Depending upon one's particular travel accommodations, such as a cabin,camper or tent, for example, the particular pillow of choice may bedetermined based on comfort, available space and weight considerations.For instance, backpackers who need to carry all of their necessaryprovisions with them will be focused primarily on size and weightconsiderations for their various provisions, including the pillow. Withthese considerations in mind, a variety of suitable pillows are readilyavailable from recreational equipment retailers.

[0006] Another important consideration for travelers in general, andcampers in particular, is providing safe storage for personal articlessuch as wallets, keys, watches, jewelry and even smaller electronicdevices, to name only a few. There may be a variety of places where onecan store these personal items to reduce the risk of theft or damage.Oftentimes such items are locked in one's car, room, luggage, or a hotelsafe. However, such conveniences are not readily available to others,such as backpackers, or even others who would simply prefer to have suchpersonal items near them at all times. For these individuals, it isdesirable to provide protective storage for items which reduces the riskof damage thereto while at the same time being conveniently accessible.In addition, for those outdoors adventurers such as canoeists, kayakers,boaters and the like who are near water, it is also important forobvious reasons to provide a dry storage device which is floatable. Ithas been surprisingly found that all of these needs can be satisfied byproviding such a storage device for personal articles which convenientlyalso serves as a pillow. The present invention is suitably directed tomeeting these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved pillow for protected storage of personal items.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a pillowadapted to receive personal items for storage, while also providingcushioned support to a user.

[0009] A further object of the present invention is to provide such apillow which is travel-sized and provides substantially dry storage forone's personal items.

[0010] Still a further object of the present invention is to providesuch a new and improved pillow construction which is also floatable andadapted to be anchored to an object, such as a canoe, kayak, boat or thelike, so that it does not drift away.

[0011] In accordance with these objectives, the present inventionbroadly relates to a container adapted to provide protected storage forpersonal items. The container broadly comprises a casing, a fillableinsert structure removably disposed in the casing, and a closure for thefillable insert structure. The casing has a casing interior and a mouthcommunicating therewith. The fillable insert structure has an associatedinsert interior for receiving the personal items and an associated mouthcommunicating with the insert interior. The fillable insert structure isadapted to receive a quantity of a filling medium to provide a cushionedprotection for personal items stored in the insert interior. The closureassociated with the fillable insert structure is movable between an openposition such that the personal items may be inserted into and removedfrom the insert interior and a closed position to retain the personalitems in the insert interior.

[0012] In its preferred form, the container of the present invention hasthe characteristics of a storage pillow and provides cushioned supportto a user, while also being adapted to receive the personal items. Thepillow's outer casing is preferably flexible and formed by first andsecond flexible body panels joined about majority of a perimeterthereof, with an unjoined portion defining a mouth for the casing whichcommunicates with the casing interior. These first and second flexiblebody panels may be formed as a multi-layered construction with acushioning layer interposed between them. First and second grommets maybe disposed, respectively, on the first and second flexible body panelsin opposed relationship to one another so that a securement member, suchas a rope, can be inserted through the first and second grommets andfastened to the flexible outer casing. The outer casing may also have anassociated closure, such as a zipper with a pull tab, which isselectively movable between open and closed positions to, respectively,allow for insertion and removal of the inflatable bladder.

[0013] The inflatable bladder, itself, preferably includes first andsecond bladder body panels that are each formed of a water resistantmaterial. These bladder body panels are sealed about a majority of aperimeter to define a sealed edge, with an unjoined portion defining abladder mouth communicating with the bladder interior. Each of thebladder's first and second body panels is also a multi-layeredconstruction, such as plastic or nylon, which includes an array ofinflatable cells in communication with one another. An inflation valveis provided in fluid communication with the array of cells, and thisinflation valve includes a valve stem adapted to receive air from an airsource so that the bladder can be inflated to a desired level. Theinflatable bladder preferably provides a substantially dry storage forpersonal articles retained therein. To this end, it's closure may takeon a variety of constructions, including cooperative hook and loopfasteners or matable tongue and groove structures, to name a few.

[0014] These and other objects of the present invention will become morereadily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the followingdetailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention when taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view illustrating one possible usefor the storage pillow of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating another possible use forthe storage pillow of the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a variety ofpersonal items which can be removably stored in the storage pillow ofthe present invention;

[0018]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the outer casingand the inflatable bladder for the storage pillow of FIGS. 1-3;

[0019]FIG. 5 is a is a cross-sectional showing the grommet structure forthe pillow's outer casing;

[0020]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one corner of the storage pillowwhen in the closed state, and showing the fastening of a securementmember thereto;

[0021]FIG. 7 is an enlarged exploded view showing the inflatablebladder's inflation valve and the squeeze bulb for use therewith;

[0022]FIG. 8 is a perspective view, partially cut-away, of theinflatable bladder having it's mouth in a partially open state;

[0023]FIG. 9(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inflatablebladder's mouth region as viewed about lines 9-9 in FIG. 8, and showingthe mouth prior to being sealed;

[0024]FIG. 9(a) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the inflatablebladder's mouth region as viewed about lines 9-9 in FIG. 8, and showingthe mouth after being sealed; and

[0025]FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an alternative mouthconstruction for the inflatable bladder, with a portion of the bladder'spanel pulled apart.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0026] According to the present invention, then, a container in the formof a pillow is provided which is adapted to receive personal items forstorage while providing cushioned support to a user. The pillow haswater resistant characteristics so that it is particularly suited toprovide a substantially dry storage for the personal items. While such apillow can fulfill the needs of a variety of users, it is contemplatedthat it will be particularly well received by travels, campers, canoersand the like who desire both a travel pillow as well as a means forprotectively storing their belongings in a manner which is spaceefficient.

[0027] Examples of some uses for the storage pillow of the presentinvention are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 1 it may be seenthat the pillow 10 of the present invention can be used by one in acanoe 2 and propped up against the canoe's backrest 4 to provide acushioned support for one's back, while at the same time providing a drystorage environment for personal items. Pillow 10 is constructed so thatit can also be appropriately anchored to the canoe via a securementmember, such as rope 6, which has a first end portion 5 tied to pillow10 and an opposite second end portion 7 tied to an appropriate portionof the canoe such as webbing cords 8. As such, were canoe 2 to tip overduring use, storage pillow 10 would float but not drift away. In FIG. 2,it may be seen that pillow 10 can be used by a camper or the like whilesleeping in a sleeping bag 9. FIGS. 1 and 2, of course, only illustratetwo possible uses for storage pillow 10 of the present invention.

[0028] In FIG. 3 it may be seen that a variety of personal items 11 suchas one's personal organizer 12, cell phone 13 and keys 14 can beconveniently placed within the pillow's interior, after which the pillow10 can be appropriately inflated to a desired level and sealed in amanner which is water resistant to provide a dry, protected storageenvironment for the personal items 11. Indeed, any of a variety ofpersonal belongings could be stored, so that those shown in FIG. 3 arefor illustrative purposes only.

[0029] Storage pillow 10 of the present invention incorporates theconstruction of components which have been described in one or both ofmy earlier co-pending application Ser. No. 09/956,478 filed Sep. 18,2001 and Ser. No. 10/170,013 filed Jun. 10, 2002, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference. As such, with initialreference to FIG. 4, it may be seen that storage pillow 10 broadlycomprises an outer casing or pouch 15 having an interior 17 in which afillable insert structure, such as inflatable bladder 80 can beinserted. Casing 15 of container 10 includes a front casing panel 16 anda back casing panel 18 which are rectangular in shape and joined aboutthree edges 21, 22 and 23 which are located at the perimeter thereof.Panels 16 and 18 are open along a portion of the perimeter to define amouth 20 through which inflatable bladder 80 may be inserted. A zipper30 is provided and includes a pull-tab 32 shown in an open position sothat mouth 20 is open. Zipper 30 is preferably a number 10 type luggagepull zipper available from a variety of suppliers.

[0030] With reference to FIG. 5, the perimeter edges of casing 12, suchas edge 22, is formed by sewing margins 17 and 19 of panels 16 and 18together, as is known in the art. Furthermore, it may be seen that frontpanel 16 is formed out of fabric layers 34 and 36, while back panel 18is formed by fabric layers 38 and 40. In the preferred embodiment, eachof panels 16 and 18 is flexible. Outer fabric layers 34 and 38, as wellas inner fabric layers 36 and 40, may be formed of any suitablematerial, such as soft two-ply “cotton-like” polyester blend so that itbecomes very durable and stain resistant. Of course, casing 11 couldalternatively be made out of plastic, nylon or other water proof/waterresistant material as desired. Thus, the material of choice will dependon the intended use but can be any appropriate material withoutrestriction.

[0031] Storage pillow 10 can be placed in a closed state once theinflatable bladder and personal items have been inserted by manipulatingzipper 30 to close mouth 20. When open (FIG. 4) pull tab 32 is thuslocated at one corner 42 of pillow 10 but, when closed (FIG. 6) it islocated proximate to a second corner 44 of pillow 10. As shown in FIGS.5 and 6, front panel 16 is provided with a metal grommet 46 locatedproximately to corner 44. Back panel 18 is similarly provided with anassociated metal grommet that is also located proximately to corner 44so that the two metal grommets are in opposed relationship to oneanother. Moreover, these grommets may be located proximately to pull-tab32 when zipper 30 is shut with pillow 10 being in the closed state. Fromthis, it can be appreciated that zipper 30 provides a closure for pillow10 that is movable between an open position such that the inflatablebladder can be inserted and removed from the interior 17 of pillow 10,and a closed position so as to retain the inflatable bladder in theinterior 17. With reference particularly to FIG. 6, a securement member,such as a rope 6, can be inserted through the metal grommets and tieddown to fasten rope 6 to pillow 10.

[0032] With reference again to FIG. 4, and as discussed in my co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 10/170,013, inflatable bladder 80 is also agenerally rectangular flexible member formed of a multi-layeredconstruction to include a matrix of cells 84 which communicate with oneanother to receive air via inflation valve 84. This provides a cushionof air to protect the personal items while additional providing acushioned support to either the user's head region, neck region or back.With reference generally to FIGS. 4 and 7, inflatable bladder 80 isformed by a pair of flexible panel sections 81 and 83 which are sealedtogether along their surrounding peripheral edge margin, such as throughheat sealing or the like, as known in the art. Panels 81 and 83 are alsosecured by a matrix of spot “welds” to create the array of cells 84 tobe inflated. To provide the bladder's open mouth 82, after the flexiblepanels 81 and 83 are appropriately sealed together, the sealed structureis then folded over upon itself about fold line 88 and appropriatelysealed again to create a pouch-like structure. It can be appreciated,then, that the sealing of the peripheral margin of bladder 80 and thespot welding creates a confined volume between the panels 81 and 83 sothat the cells 84 can be inflated to a desired level. Accordingly, the“welds” limit the expansion of the bladder while preferably providing a¾″ to 1-½″ layer of expansion air protection for one's personal items.While the welds are shown in the figures to be evenly distributed tocreate the array of cells 84, these welds may be located in a differentpatterned arrangement, as desired. This would permit different regionsof the bladder to have varying degrees of air cushioning so the bladdercan be tailored to accommodate different configurations of receiveditems or provide varying degrees of air cushioning to the user.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 7, inflation may be accomplished by injectingair through the bladder's inflation valve 86, such as through the use ofa squeeze bulb 90. Squeeze bulb 90 is similar to that conventionallyfound on a medical blood pressure cuff, and has a pair of opposednipples 91 and 94 which are each sized and adapted for attachment to thevalve stem 86 of bladder 80 to, correspondingly, inflate and deflate thebladder 80 when the bulbous body 92 of the squeeze bulb 90 iscompressed, all as is known in the art. Advantageously, the squeeze bulb90 can be appropriately attached to the bladder through any appropriatemeans or simply inserted into the pillow when not in use. As alsodiscussed in my co-pending application Ser. 10/170,013, inflatablebladder 80 can be provided with different inflation valve structures andinflated/deflated through a variety of means such as by mouth, with ahand pump or through a compressor. However, it is believed that userswanting to conserve space will either orally inflate the bladder orutilize the squeeze bulb 90.

[0034] Inflatable bladder 80 has an associated closure constructionwhich permits the mouth 82 of the bag to be releasably sealed,preferably in a water tight and air tight engagement, to provide aprotected and dry storage environment for personal articles storedwithin bag 80. This closure for inflatable bladder 80 is best seen withreference to FIGS. 8, 9(a) and 9(b). The transverse mouth margin 90 ofinflatable bladder 80 has a pair of opposed margin portions 92 and 94which releaseably engage one another. Margin portions 92 and 94 are,respectively, joined to bag panels 81 and 83 by any conventional means.Margin portions 92 and 94 are preferably formed of a polyurethanematerial, while upper and lower bag panels 81 and 83 are preferablyformed of nylon, plastic or other water proof/water resistant material.

[0035] The sealing means for the bladder's mouth region 90 is akin tothat conventionally found on sandwich bags, freezer bags and other typesof bag structures where either an air tight seal or water tight seal isdesired. Accordingly, the bag's lower mouth margin 94 is formed toinclude a pair of transversely extending ridges 91 and 93 which areseparated from one another by an elongated transversely extendingchannel 95. The bag's upper mouth portion 92 has an associated elongatedrib 96 which has a width that is preferably slightly larger than thewidth of channel 95, as shown in FIG. 9(a), so that when margins 92 and94 are compressed, ridge 96 becomes seated in a close frictionengagement within channel 95 and compressed between ridges 91 and 93, asshown in FIG. 9(b). This friction engagement is sufficient to maintainthe bag's mouth 92 in the closed orientation as shown in FIG. 9(b) sothat the seal is not broken. Of course, to open inflatable bladder 80,one simply urges margin portions 92 and 94 apart from one another toovercome the sealed engagement, thereby permitting insertion and removalof personal items into the bag's interior.

[0036] Another type of closure for the inflatable bladder is shown withreference now to FIG. 10. Here, inflatable bladder 180 is provided withhook and loop fastening strips 193 and 194 disposed, respectively, onupper mouth margin 192 and lower mouth margin 194 by any conventionalmeans, such as by sewing, through adhesion or the like. While thisconstruction would not provide as much of an airtight and water tightseal as that discussed in FIGS. 8-9(b), it will nonetheless serve thepurpose of substantially affording a dry storage environment for thereceived personal items. Of course, a variety of other closureconstructions for both the inflatable bladder 80 and the outer casing 11associated with storage pillow 10 would be well within the purview ofthe ordinarily skilled artisan, so that the figures herein onlyillustrate representative constructions.

[0037] Accordingly, the present invention has been described with somedegree of particularity directed to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention. It should be appreciated, though, that the presentinvention is defined by the following claims construed in light of theprior art so that modifications or changes may be made to the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention without departing from theinventive concepts contained herein.

I claim:
 1. A storage pillow, comprising: a. a flexible outer casinghaving a casing interior and formed by first and second flexible bodypanels joined about a majority of a perimeter of said outer casing, withan unjoined portion defining a mouth communicating with the casinginterior; b. an inflatable bladder removably disposed in the casinginterior and having an associated bladder interior for receiving andstoring the personal items, said inflatable bladder adapted to be filledwith a selected quantity of air to provide cushioned protection for saidpersonal items as well as cushioned support for the user; and c. aclosure associated with said inflatable bladder and movable between aclosure open position such that the personal items may be inserted intoand removed from the bladder interior and a closure closed position toretain the personal items in the bladder interior.
 2. A pillow accordingto claim 1 wherein each of said first and second flexible body panels isformed as a multi-layered construction.
 3. A pillow according to claim 2including a cushioning layer interposed between said first and secondflexible body panels.
 4. A pillow according to claim 1 including a firstgrommet disposed on said first flexible body panel and a second grommetdisposed on said second flexible body panel.
 5. A pillow according toclaim 1 wherein said inflatable bladder includes an inflation valvehaving a valve stem adapted to receive the selected quantity of air froman air source.
 6. A pillow according to claim 5 wherein said inflatablebladder includes an array of cells which communicate with said inflationvalve.
 7. A pillow according to claim 1 wherein said closure is formedby cooperative hook and loop fasteners.
 8. A pillow according to claim 1wherein said closure is formed by matable tongue and groove structures.9. A pillow adapted to provide a substantially dry storage for personalitems while providing cushioned support to a user, said pillowcomprising: a. a flexible outer casing having a casing interior andincluding: (i) first and second flexible casing body panels joined abouta majority of a perimeter of said casing with an unjoined portiondefining a casing mouth communicating with the casing interior; (ii) anouter casing closure selectively movable between open and closedpositions; and b. an inflatable bladder removably disposed in the casinginterior and having an associated bladder interior for storing thepersonal items, said inflatable bladder adapted to receive a selectedquantity of air to provide cushioned protection for said personal itemsas well as cushioned support for the user, said inflatable bladderincluding: (i) first and second bladder body panels each formed of awater resistant material and sealed about a majority of a perimeter ofsaid inflatable bladder to define a sealed edge, with an unjoinedportion defining a bladder mouth communicating with the bladderinterior; and (ii) a bladder closure movable between an associated openposition such that the personal items may be inserted into and removedfrom the bladder interior and an associated closed position to sealablyretain the personal items in the bladder interior.
 10. A pillowaccording to claim wherein each of said first and second flexible casingbody panels is formed of a fabric material.
 11. A pillow according toclaim wherein each of said first and second flexible casing body panelsis formed as a multi-layered construction.
 12. A pillow according toclaim 11 including a cushioning layer interposed between said first andsecond flexible casing body panels.
 13. A pillow according to claim 9including a first grommet disposed on said first flexible casing bodypanel and a second grommet disposed on said second flexible casing bodypanel in opposed relationship to said first grommet so that an elongatedsecurement member can be inserted through said first and second grommetsand fastened to said flexible outer casing.
 14. A pillow according toclaim 9 wherein said inflatable bladder is a multilayer plasticconstruction and includes an array of inflatable cells in fluidcommunication with one another.
 15. A pillow according to claim 14wherein said inflatable bladder includes an inflation valve in fluidcommunication with each of said inflatable cells and having a valve stemadapted to couple to an air source.
 16. A pillow according to claim 9and 13 wherein said outer casing closure is a zipper having a pull tab.17. A pillow according to any of claims 9 and 16 wherein said bladderclosure is formed by cooperative hook and loop fasteners secured to saidbladder mouth.
 18. A pillow according to claim any of claims 9 and 16wherein said bladder closure is formed by matable tongue and groovestructures secured to said bladder mouth.
 19. A container adapted toprovide protected storage for personal items, comprising: a. a casinghaving a casing interior and a mouth communicating with the casinginterior; b. a fillable insert structure removably disposed in thecasing interior and having an associated insert interior for receivingthe personal items and an associated mouth communicating with the insertinterior, said fillable insert structure adapted to receive a selectedquantity of a filling medium to provide a cushioned protection for thepersonal items stored in the insert interior; and c. a closureassociated with said fillable insert structure and movable between anopen position such that the personal items may be inserted into andremoved from the insert interior and a closed position to retain thepersonal items in the insert interior.